Prof. Christoph Kehle and his colleagues have demonstrated “that there is nothing in our known laws of physics to prevent the formation of an extremal black hole,” reports Steve Nadis for Quanta Magazine. The mathematical proof is “beautiful, technically innovative and physically surprising,” says Princeton University Professor Mihalis Dafermos. It hints at a potentially richer and more varied universe in which “extremal black holes could be out there astrophysically.”
Prof. Ömer Yilmaz and his colleagues have discovered the potential health benefits and consequences of fasting, reports Max Kozlov for Nature. “There is so much emphasis on fasting and how long to be fasting that we’ve kind of overlooked this whole other side of the equation: what is going on in the refed state,” says Yilmaz.
Researchers at MIT and elsewhere have discovered an exoplanet that “is 50% larger than Jupiter and as fluffy as cotton candy,” reports Aylin Woodward for The Wall Street Journal. “Basically, for over 15 years now, the astronomy community has been puzzled by a category of gas giants that are bigger than what they should be given their mass,” explains Prof. Julien de Wit.
Prof. Stuart Madnick speaks with NPR host Alisa Chang about the recent influx of security breaches and how individuals can prepare for future attacks. “There are certain responsibilities companies have, particularly with the disclosure of private information,” explains Madnick. He emphasizes that individuals, "have to realize there are risks and behave as cautiously and fruitfully as you can.”
Writing for Foreign Affairs, MIT Innovation Fellow Brian Deese proposes a Clean Energy Marshall Plan to combat climate change and renew U.S. leadership on a global stage, arguing this can be done in a way that promotes U.S. interests and supports aligned countries. “In this moment of domestic economic strength—stark against the backdrop of heightened competition, a fracturing world, and a raging climate crisis—the United States can do something generous for people across the globe in a way that benefits Americans,” writes Deese. “It should take that leap, not just because it is the morally right thing to do but also because it is the strategically necessary thing to do.”
Falmouth’s Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium has unveiled a new chocolate candy named Dr. Bob’s Dark Chocolate Maple Syrup Cream – inspired by Prof. Bob Langer’s love of maple, reports Jon Chesto in The Boston Globe. “To make the Dr. Bob’s candy, the staff takes the maple cream chocolates and then drizzles maple syrup over them as a topping,” writes Chesto.
Edwin Olson '00, MEng '01, PhD '08 founded May Mobility, an autonomous vehicle company that uses human autonomous vehicle operators on its rides, reports Gus Alexiou for Forbes. “May Mobility is focused above all else on gradually building up the confidence of its riders and community stakeholders in the technology over the long-term,” explains Alexiou. “This may be especially true for certain more vulnerable sections of society such as the disability community where the need for more personalized and affordable forms of transportation is arguably greatest but so too is the requirement for robust safety and accessibility protocols.”
Researchers at MIT have developed tiny batteries capable of powering cell-sized robots that can “execute tasks as varied as targeting drug delivery inside the human body to checking pipelines for gas leaks,” reports Brian Heater for TechCrunch. “Despite the barely visible size, the researchers say the batteries can generate up to 1 volt, which can be used to power a sensor, circuit or even a moving actuator.”
A new database of AI risks has been developed by MIT researchers in an effort to help guide organizations as they begin using AI technologies, reports Will Knight for Wired. “Many organizations are still pretty early in that process of adopting AI,” meaning they need guidance on the possible perils, says Research Scientist Neil Thompson, director of the FutureTech project.
Interesting Engineering reporter Shubhangi Dua describes a new implantable device developed by MIT researchers that can detect and automatically treat an opioid overdose. “Having an automated robotic system that can sense and reverse opiate overdose could be transformational,” says Prof. Giovanni Traverso, “particularly for high-risk populations.”
MIT researchers have developed an AI risk repository that includes over 70 AI risks, reports Kyle Wiggers for TechCrunch. “This is an attempt to rigorously curate and analyze AI risks into a publicly accessible, comprehensive, extensible and categorized risk database that anyone can copy and use, and that will be kept up to date over time,” explains Peter Slattery, a research affiliate at the MIT FutureTech project.
Researchers at MIT and elsewhere have developed a new device “designed to detect the signs of an overdose and automatically deliver a dose of naloxone in as little as 10 seconds,” reports Tom Hawking for Popular Science. “The device [which has an associated smartphone app] also has a built-in alert system with auditory and tactile signals to wake the user, providing an alternative for those without smartphones or with uncharged devices,” says Prof. Giovanni Traverso.
TechCrunch reporter Kyle Wiggers writes that MIT researchers have developed a new tool, called SigLLM, that uses large language models to flag problems in complex systems. In the future, SigLLM could be used to “help technicians flag potential problems in equipment like heavy machinery before they occur.”
A new study by MIT researchers finds that commercial air travel continues to get safer, with the risk of a fatality 1 per every 13.7 million passenger boardings globally in the 2018 to 2022 period, reports Brittany Anas for Forbes. “Researchers explain that this trend in safer flights can be understood through ‘Moore’s Law,’ which is the observation that innovators find ways to double computing power of chips every roughly 18 months,” Anas writes. “However, in this case, the MIT team points out, commercial travel has become almost twice as safe in each decade since the late 1960s.”
Research by Prof. David Autor finds that following the Covid-19 pandemic, wages for lower-paid US workers increased, reports Soumaya Keynes for The Financial Times. Autor and his colleagues found that people switching to better jobs served as a mechanism for boosting pay.